South Antrim (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

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South Antrim was a constituency of the Northern Ireland Parliament.

The House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland), 1929 introduced first past the post elections for 48 single-member constituencies (including Antrim South).

1 Boundaries and boundary changes
2 Politics
3 Members of Parliament
4 Elections
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Boundaries and boundary changes

Antrim South has always been a county constituency comprising the southern part of County Antrim in the province of Ulster (excluding the part in Belfast). Larger versions of the constituency have has the sea and Belfast (including 1969-1973 the surburbun Northern Ireland Parliament Larkfield division) to the north-east, County Down to the south-east and south and Lough Neagh and the borders with County Londonderry to the west. How far north the constituency extended and whether it reached the sea and a land border with County Londonderry depended on the number of divisions into which Antrim was split.

This constituency was one of seven county divisions in Antrim from 1929, so it was smaller than the UK Parliament seat. From 1969 there were nine county divisions in Antrim. The changes in the vicinity of Belfast affected the boundaries of this division.

It comprised (in terms of then local government units) part of the Rural District of Lisburn and the whole of the Urban District of Lisburn. In 1969 the part of the Rural District closest to Belfast became the new seat of Antrim Larkfield.

Antrim South returned one member of Parliament from 1929 until the Northern Ireland Parliament was prorogued in 1972 and formally abolished 1973.

[edit] Politics

County Antrim (except for parts of Belfast) is a strongly unionist area. There has never been the slightest chance of a republican or nationalist candidate being elected in a single-member Antrim county constituency, however the boundaries were drawn. Antrim South has not been an exception.

From the Northern Ireland general election of 1929 the Antrim South division was an extremely safe Unionist seat for the rest of the existence of the Northern Ireland Parliament.

[edit] Members of Parliament

From	To	Name	Party	Born	Died
1929	1951	Rt Hon. Sir John Milne Barbour, Bt	Ulster Unionist	1868	3 October 1951
1951	1968	Rt Hon. Robert William Brian McConnell	Ulster Unionist	25 November 1922	24 October 2000
1968	1970	Richard Ferguson	Ulster Unionist	22 August 1935
1970	1973	Rev. William John Beattie	Protestant Unionist	21 September 1942

Note: Beattie joined the Democratic Unionist Party in 1971.

[edit] Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

General Election 22 May 1929: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Rt Hon. John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist gain from new seat		Swing	N/A

General Election 30 November 1933: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Rt Hon. John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 9 February 1938: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Rt Hon. John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 14 June 1945: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Rt Hon. Sir John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 10 February 1949: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Rt Hon. Sir John Milne Barbour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Death of Barbour

By-Election 10 December 1945: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Robert William Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 22 October 1953: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Robert William Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 20 March 1958: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Robert William Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 31 May 1962: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Robert William Brian McConnell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 25 November 1965: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Rt Hon. Robert William Brian McConnell	14,491	77.89	N/A
	Labour (NI)	S.A. Stewart	4,113	22.11	N/A
Majority			10,378	55.78	N/A
Turnout			34,419	54.05	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Resignation of McConnell

By-Election 6 November 1968: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Richard Ferguson	16,288	85.12	+7.23
	Labour (NI)	J. Coulthard	2,848	14.88	-7.23
Majority			13,440	70.23	+14.45
Turnout			38,672	49.48	-4.57
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Boundary change

General Election 24 February 1969: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Richard Ferguson	10,761	66.74	-18.38
	Protestant Unionist	Rev. William John Beattie	5,362	33.26	+33.26
Majority			5,399	33.49	-36.74
Turnout			24,693	65.29	+15.81
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Resignation of Ferguson

By-Election 16 April 1970: Antrim South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protestant Unionist	Rev. William John Beattie	7,137	35.16	+1.90
	Ulster Unionist	W.J. Morgan	6,179	30.44	-36.30
	Independent	D. Corkey	5,212	25.67	+25.67
	Labour (NI)	A. Whitby	1,773	8.73	+8.73
Majority			958	4.72	N/A
Turnout			28,633	70.90	+5.61
	Protestant Unionist gain from Ulster Unionist		Swing	N/A